Presented by Public Art Saint Paul, Wing Young Huie’s University Avenue Project: The Language of Urbanism, a Six-Mile Photographic Inquiry, will transform a major urban thoroughfare in Saint Paul, Minnesota, into a six-mile public gallery of over 400 photographs. Wing’s images reveal the dizzying socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic realities of the citizens who work, live, and go to school along this corridor that is jammed with storefronts, taverns, big-box retailers, blue-collar neighborhoods and condominium communities.

The history of this illustrious corridor started in 1873 when members of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and the Minneapolis Board of Trade met and approved a plan for a “Broad Avenue” designed to unite the two cities in commerce, trade and transportation. The plan entailed construction of a wide thoroughfare on a direct line between the two cities, 660 feet in width, with a passenger rail line running down the center. The railway was to be bounded by 200-foot wide linear parks, 100-foot-wide boulevards, and attractions such as the State Fair, gardens, and works of art along its route. At least one participant had the Champs Elysees in mind. Some believed that a great boulevard connecting the two towns would eventually lead to their merger.

The University Avenue Project book, published by The Minnesota Historical Society and Public Art Saint Paul, will come out in 2 paperback issues May 1 and August 1, 2010. Volume 1 presents Wing Young Huie’s stunning photography and also provides the stories behind the photos in the residents’ own words and a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of staging this nationally significant exhibit. Volume 2 will document reactions to and interactions with the exhibit and include commentary by nationally significant social and arts commentators.

Public Art Saint Paul is the prime mover in creating and caring for art the civic realm of Minnesota’s capital city. For nearly a quarter of a century, it has engaged artists in shaping the form and experience of the city as collaborators in the design of public places and as creators of permanent artworks, temporary installations and public art events.